Microsoft Takes $300 Million Stake In Barnes & Noble (Apple Insider)Microsoft announced that it will take a $300 million stake in bookseller Barnes & Noble's digital Nook e-book business. The new partnership will create a subsidiary that will include not only the Nook business, but also Barnes & Noble's college textbook business as well. The deal also means Barnes & Noble will create a Nook application for Windows 8. The critics weigh in: